Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Sun Flower

In 2012 we made another cross country trip to visit some of the western national
parks and other sights in the western US. Our first stop was at the Theodore Roosevelt
National Park in North Dakota. This is one of the least visited US National Parks,
mostly because of its remote location. The parks is consists of three separate division.
There is a considerable distance between the 3 divisions of the park. We visited
the south division of the park which is near Medora, ND.

One of the problems we encountered planning our visit to the park is that accommodations
are very limited. Medora is the only town near the park and there are only a couple
of motels there. On top of that North Dakota is in the middle of an energy boom
and energy companies are booking places all over the state. Even planning several
months in advance of our visit, we could not find a room in Medora. So we ended
up staying in Glendive, Montana about 70 miles away. This limited the time we
had in the park.

The park is in the North Dakota badlands. The North Dakota badlands are very
different from the South Dakota badlands and don't show the erosion feature found
in South Dakota.

Badlands of North Dakota

The park is home to buffalo (bison), prairie dogs, feral horses, elk, and deer. We saw
the prairie dogs, buffalo and a feral horse.

Prairie Dog

Buffalo (Bison)

This is arid country that receives little rain. The main water source for
the park is the Little Missouri River. The areas near the river
are green and cotton wood trees thrive there.

Wind Canyon in one of the feature in the park. The canyon features wind-sculpted sands.
Wind was as much a factor in carving the canyon as was water. The trails worn by
buffalo and other game are very visible.